水耕みつば

Oita kabosu

It is thought that the first seedlings of this citrus plant were cultivated in Usuki city. Currently, the cities of Usuki and Taketa are the main growing region, supplying about 95% of Japan’s crop. Kabosu’s high citric acid and vitamin C content have drawn interest to the first as a natural nutritional supplement. Oita kabosu is lovingly grown by farmers in the warm Oita sunshine....

Seven herbs of spring(nana-kusa)

The so-called”seven herbs of spring”(ingredients in an early January”detox”dish in Japan)are Japanese parsley,shepherd’s purse, Jersey cudweed, chickweed, henbit, turnip and rockcrees. They are gown on large-scale plantations at roughly the turn of the year. Seeds are collected and repidly picked and packed around New Year’s for shipment. They are also freeze-dried, to be packaged and sold with retort-packeged rice porridge products....

Wild chervil (mitsuba)

This aromatic vegetable of the parsley family is essential in Japanese cuisine. Full of vitamin A and fiber, it can help prevent diabetes. In Oita city, it is grown hydroponically year-round with minimal agrochemical inputs....